The Singing, Dancing Hormel Girls Who Sold America SPAM

A military-style corps of singing women helped SPAM skyrocket in the years after World War II.

In 1947, women were being encouraged to go back into the home after their arduous service in World War II. The very war that had brought women into the job force in record numbers also gave rise to SPAM. Though the food was invented in the late 1930s, it came to prominence during the war as a food that was long-lasting and easy to ship. SPAM became synonymous with the United States as hundreds of millions of pounds were shipped to U.S. allies.